Murder Weapon

Dawn (B movie goddess Linnea Quigley) and her friend Amy ("Tenement" hottie Karen Russell) are the mentally unstable daughters of mobsters. They spend some time in a mental institution before being let back into the real world, and decide to invite a bunch of ex- boyfriends to a party to celebrate. Wouldn't you know it: a mad killer arrives to make mincemeat of the partygoers.

This ultra cheap trashy slasher from writer Ross A. Perron and the prolific David DeCoteau is hard to stick with for a while. It drags like you wouldn't believe, with a lot of set-up to sit through. Much time is devoted to institution flashbacks, with the sexy gals being interviewed by doctors played by Lenny Rose and token big name Lyle Waggoner. Fortunately, DeCoteau is smart enough to include a bit of sex and T & A to break up the tedium. It's also a mild bit of fun to watch a cast that also includes Eric Freeman of "Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2" infamy. But it isn't until late in the game that this gets a lot more amusing. The makeup effects are crude but deliciously over the top. The movie also ends with a pretty decent fire gag. And Linnea and Russell prove quite easy to watch.

A passable time killer for 83 minutes.

Six out of 10.

To celebrate their release from a mental hospital, two hot young girls (played by blonde scream queen Linnea Quigley and sexy brunette Karen Russell) hold a party, inviting their ex-boyfriends (all stud-muffins—this is, after all, a David DeCoteau movie). While the party-goers chill, drink beer, play ball, soak in the pool and have sex with the two girls, someone starts to kill them one by one.

The first forty or so minutes of Murder Weapon are a real test of patience: overly talky, with numerous lengthy flashbacks in which the girls talk to a psychiatrist (played by Lyle Waggoner, Steve Trevor from Wonder Woman), only a smattering of T&A prevents this half of the film from being a total loss (wearing a skimpy bikini, Russell is given a full five minutes to oil her arms and legs).

Then, at roughly the 45 minute mark, a guy gets his head smashed to pulp with a sledgehammer and things pick up a bit from thereon-in; the talky stuff continues, but is now interspersed by sporadic sex and violence. Linnea Quigley strips off and humps a dude, a guy is force fed his own heart (a hand inexplicably erupting from his chest), someone gets a broken champagne bottle in the throat, and another guy is shot in the head. The effects are cheap and trashy, but enthusiastically gory, and the film ends in style with an impressive full body burn stunt, the killer doused with petrol and set on fire.

Overall, an unexceptional late '80s slasher, but worth persevering with for the inept but juicy deaths, and Quigley's sex scene. 5.5 out of 10, rounded up to 6 for IMDb.

This fun slasher was made when the slasher craze was going out of style.

But it's still enjoyable. From the cheesy dialogue, Linnea Quigley and Karen Russell getting naked, and the very gory death scenes made this movie very entertaining. I'm a fan of Linnea's she never fails to entertain me. Her dialogue that she is always given is so hilarious. She's a great comedian. Anyway, I give this movie a 9! Great cheesy fun!

Though a bit confusing at times.

My review was written in January 1990 after watching the film on Cinema Home Video cassette.

From the makers of "Deadly Embrace" comes another minimalist video feature, aimed squarely at fans ol scream queen Linnea Quigley. Static, talky nature of this cheapie is a big drawback.

Incomprehensible plot line, which is unusually scatterbrained even for the video thriller genre, has Quigley and buxom Karen Russell as nutcases let loose from the asylum who invite some boys over for a party. Some maniac is killing off the boys and the bogus ending comes as no surprise.

Before then, the star (who also produced) removes her clothes for some sexy footage, while Russell is uncharacteristically prudish this time out.

Script crudely establishes that both heroines come from gangster families, but little is made of this irrelevant plot peg. Executive producer David DeCoteau, directing as "Ellen Cabot", fails to generate much humor or campiness here. Likewise, guest star Lyle Waggoner has little to do in his token role as a shrink.

Tech credits are threadbare, with a confusing editing structure and many scenes consisting of simply talking heads.

So bad it's great. It was made at the very end of the 80s but still feels like the quintessential cheesy 80s slasher- it feels very 1986. This movie has an abundance of tits, sex, gore, bad acting, and awful dialogue. So it's perfect if you're looking for something to laugh at.